AT Service Provider Certifications

In the field of Assistive Technolgoy there are three nationally
recognized certification programs. These three certifications are all conferred
by RESNA, the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society
of North America. Information on the requirements and the testing for the
Certification Program of RESNA is found here.
Exam schedules and information packets are available on this page.

The three certifications are as follows:

Assistive Technology Practitioner (ATP) Certifies providers
who perform clinical assessment of consumers with disabilities, assist
in selection of appropriate assistive technology for the consumer's needs,
and provide training in the use of AT devices.

Assistive Technology Supplier (ATS) Certifies providers
who are vendors of rehabilitation equipment and AT devices and services.

In addition to these three certifications there are other Certificates
in AT that are not nationally recongized credentials.

The Center on Disabilities at California State University Northridge offers
a 100 hour training program that results in the ATACP,
the Assistive Technology Applications Certificate Program.
The typical program is 60 hours online, 32 hours live at regional training
locations and an 8 hour project. There is no exam.

There are a number of universities around the country that offer a Certificate
in Assistive Technology that usually is offered as an adjunct requirement
in a Masters or PhD. program in Biomedical Engineering. I was able to take
four graduate courses offered by Louisiana Tech University at Ruston, LA.
This taining was provided by staff from the Center for Biomedical Engineering
and Rehabilitation Science (CyBERS).
The training involved online and on-site instruction. The result of these
courses was a Certificate in Assistive Technology. At present this training
is not available at CyBERS.

Here are some representative examples of some University based Assistive
Technology Certification Programs.